MJ et al,

A year later, this topic worth revisiting.

[www.drf.com]

Of note and already reported here re: exclusion of CAW's from NYRA Late pick 5:

"And then there is the late pick 5 offered by the New York Racing Association, with a 50-cent minimum and 15 percent takeout.

Launched in the summer of 2017, the bet was first made available only to customers of NYRA Bets, which did not take on CAW operators as customers. It has since been expanded to all NYRA customers – but the bet still does not allow CAW operators in the pools. A late pick 5 offered on Saturday linking NYRA races with those at other tracks also does not allow CAW activity.

The bets are not advertised as being “CAW-free,” reflecting the caution exhibited by many racetrack operators when dealing with CAW activity. By drawing attention to the exception, racetrack operators are fearful that everyday bettors might begin to look askance at all the other pools in which CAW activity usually hits 30 percent of the betting.

NYRA officials are counting on the late pick 5 to generate data on the win rates of CAW operators and whether those win rates are cutting into non-CAW handle. Unfortunately, this year’s data will be specious: The COVID-19 pandemic has thrown so many new variables into betting models that conclusions based on 2020 data will be suspect."